Sanders: I hope Immelt changes his mind, focuses on rebuilding manufacturing in the US

/in /by

As I noted earlier, President Obama just named Jeff “Nut on China” Immelt  to head his election season effort to appear serious about jobs in the US.

I asked for a statement from Senator Bernie Sanders–who has been critical of the way Immelt and GE received welfare in the Fed bailout–about what he thought of the appointment. He seems as skeptical as I am. Here’s what he said at an event in Vermont:

“I hope he changes his mind and focuses on rebuilding the manufacturing sector here in the United States, not in China, and in the process creates millions of good-paying jobs,” Sanders said during a visit to this once-thriving industrial community in Vermont’s Connecticut River Valley.

“For the sake of our manufacturing sector and the collapsing middle class, let’s hope that Mr. Immelt’s appointment by President Obama indicates a transformation in his thinking,” Sanders added. “It is time for GE and other large and profitable corporations to start investing in America again.”

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  2. klynn says:

    EW, you do not have to be a smart econ person to point to the stupidity of Immelt as jobs czar…

    And as far as elections are concerned, it is important to remember you do not have to be a smart econ person to point to the stupidity of Immelt as jobs czar.

  3. Gitcheegumee says:

    The GE Watch, from Inner City Press / Fair Finance WatchInner City Press / Community on the Move and the Fair Finance Watch have become increasingly concerned with the lack of consumer protections at GE Capital, …
    http://www.innercitypress.org/ge.html – Cached – Similar►

    Inner City Press — (some) About Us2007: Inner City Press, headquartered in the South Bronx of New York City, …. In late April 2003, ICP began a GE Watch, of GE Capital, GE Consumer Finance …
    http://www.innercitypress.org/aboutus.html – Cached –

    The Movement(s): Anti-Corporate Globalization coverage from Inner …In connection with Inner City Press’ just-launched GE Watch, we offer this update on GE’s continuing involvement with the controversial (human rights …
    http://www.innercitypress.org/movement.html – Cached – Similar

    NOTE: Inner City Press has a long running,continuously updated coverage on GE’s financial activities for a some time now. Definitely worth a look.Info seldom published elsewhere.(The Citicorp Watch,and Wells Fargo Watch are of note,also.)

    I am speechless at this appointment of Immelt.

  4. earlofhuntingdon says:

    Obama should do stand-up, really. He’s funnier than Seinfeld. When other countries in Europe and Asia implement their economic/industrial policies, they focus on domestic job creation, because that spells votes and tax income. They focus on incentives – taxpayer financed, of course – for companies or industries, too, but woe betide the recipient that uses them loudly to close domestic operations and send jobs offshore.

    There are many options to focus on domestic job creation. One aspect of that is to heighten the hurdles for those who cut jobs. In France, it costs more than a year’s salary to cut a job. But details of such readily analyzable programs seem almost superfluous, because the American myth is that we have no economic policy, we let market forces determine what businesses do.

    In fact, we have an economic policy we push relentlessly. It is drafted and driven by several dozen billionaires and public company CEO’s, their lobbyists and think tanks, and the members of government they control. Naturally, it pursues their interests to the detriment of our citizenry. As with the devil, whose neatest trick was convincing us he doesn’t exist, so too with our economic policy and class war. When only one side writes that policy or fights that war, and convinces the other that it’s doing no such thing, identifying the winner is a sure thing.

    • earlofhuntingdon says:

      Oh, we have one, which is to support corporations instead of rather than in addition to citizens’ interests. The boys on K Street and their patrons certainly know what it is. It’s only the public that aren’t supposed to know that.

  6. jdmckay0 says:

    I dun’o, lot of whining going on about this here.

    I think yu’all are forgetting that Corporations are people too!!! (SIC) C’mon people, where’s your compassion?